Michael Troy Releases his fourth CD, 'I Am American'

"You don't hear a lot of music like Michael Troy's these days, and it's a shame. Cut from the same cloth as folks like Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan to Phil Ochs and Bill Staines, Michael has stories to tell".
Mathew Smith, FolkWeb Music Director

It has been 6 years since Michael last released a CD of his music - music that we have all grown to know so well. In that time he has written poignant lyrics coupled with his amazing guitar picking style to create an amazingly honest and beautiful album to add to his body of work. This 8 song CD has 6 new songs and two of his tunes from previous CD's that have very special meaning to his daughters, 'Lullaby' and his wife Marylou, 'Love Song'. The CD was released on October 25th with a 'Celebration of the Music of Michael Troy' at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, Ma.

A magical storyteller with a gift for melody, Michael has a deep rich voice, excellent finger picking skills and the ability to create outstanding stanza's of substance. In 'I Am American', his fourth CD, he tells honest tales of faith, family and friendship as well as songs that offer commentary on the perils of the common man in our country.

The opening song titled 'Jesus on the Radio' is about a soup kitchen in Fall River that tells a story of faith and friendship in a way that is uniquely Michael. The chorus says so much, "Jesus is on the radio, Superman’s fighting crime, Santa Claus stole the show, I got God, and these friends of mine".

It is with that insight that Michael has honed his ability to craft a song. He has always been a hard worker - whether in the cotton mills, on a fishing boat, or driving the road from venue to venue telling his stories along the way. In this CD, he can bring you into the world of 'Ole Joe' who spent his time playing an old guitar, wearing his heart out on his sleeve or, in his tune 'Waiting for the Train' about a friend's mother who spent her time keeping her faith while losing her battle with Alzheimer's, Michael can flesh out the emotion of life.

There are also stories of current events such as 'I Want My Country Back' co-written with songwriter Chuck Williams. This tune is a call to peace, pleading for the politicians to lay down the old way of thinking, embrace change and break the mold to turn the world around. But it is the title track 'I Am American', where Michael digs deep to find the words that convey the struggle of Americans during the housing market crash, that pushes the envelope. The song starts out, 'My name is Mr. Jones, I've been driven from my home, by the bankers with the sheriff in the shadows. The investment that I made, and the thousands that I paid, was just a gamble'. The song is another masterpiece of lyric, melody and guitar picking that will be with us for generations to come.

Michael's music can be heard and purchased at www.cdbaby.com/artist/michaeltroy